All around you people hurry on their way to work. Teens push past you to catch the next bullet train into the heart of the city. The smell of coal and industrial smoke has been replaced with a near-constant sense of goose bumps, a side effect of the massive generator network that powers the city. Across from the train terminal is a large LCD wall. On it, thousands of photographs appear: soldiers, civilians, friends, and familes. Do you see a familiar face? No time to look, you have an appointment to keep. It would do you no good to remember anyway.

Surprisingly, World War III had been short and relatively civil: there were no nuclear strikes (though many were threatened), POW rights were most always respected, and civilian casualties were low on all fronts. By all accounts it was a “clean” war, if there could be one. Many years later, historians would thank the rise of Cybernetic Warfare for curbing the violence many expected. “Electronic Warfare” was how it was described at the time, around 2020. By 2030 most skirmishes would last hours with only a few scant rounds being fired, complex threat detection and shot-correction systems playing cat and mouse on the battlefield.

Oh but I’m sure you all learned about that in school. Come on now, no dallying, you’re going to be late!

Yes, after all you’ve a new job interview waiting in the city. Did you bring your proper files? Citizen’s ID? Are all your limbs in proper working order?

What’s that? Well of course I said limbs! What with all the cybernetic prosthetics on the market right now, you can hardly trust the store brands! With today’s technology where it is, why, you could probably swap your brain into a completely synthetic body! That’s to say nothing of the Global Neural Network. (GNN) It’s like the internet we had back in my day! Except now you have your avatars and your telecommunication, yadda yadda yadda.

Come on! Onto the train! You’re going to be late! The boss won’t wait all day! As the train door close behind you, you manage to find a seat. But, something doesn’t feel right, it’s the man by the door, isn’t it? He’s staring right into the security camera; he wants someone to see him. The man then walks to the middle of the train car and removes his jacket, revealing a bright gold shirt. Isn’t it odd that you noticed the shirt and not the bomb first?

Well, you asked for a cyberpunk RP, and I’ll do my best to deliver. Lets get you up to speed.

Setting: London, New Britain-2035 ADTone: Meteoric advancements in cybernetics have left the Government and the people distrustful of one another. To add to this tension, a string of bombings have left the city fearful and paranoid.

The Electronic Crimes Division (ECD) is the newest branch of Britain’s Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC.) Here is where the player comes in. According to a contact of yours, the ECD is looking for…contractors of sorts, those with the special skills necessary in this era of constant technological advancement.

You’ve been given a chance to work for the ECD although they never said what the job was. Please fill out your application.

As this is my first time GM’ing and “cyberpunk” covers a wide variety of options, I know that I am probably missing some details, so please ask any questions you can think of, at the very least, they will help flesh out the world we will be using!

Awesome! This seems pretty Cyberpunk to me. Is it safe to assume that everything is a part of the GNN, as opposed to just computers? If not, let me know and I'll change stuff around:

Name: Rex Yamamoto

Age: 23

Occupation: DJ at a local night club, Game store clerk

Height and Weight: 5' 11", 146lbs.

Physical Appearance: Rex is a skinny one, his weight only being what it is due to his prosthetic arm. He has a full head of black, bed-head hair, reaching his shoulders, that usually falls over his eyes, which are blue and partly closed in a lax, unworried manner. He is unshaven with a thin chin-beard. Rex appears to be of both Japanese and European descent. His garb usually consists of a red or blue band t-shirt, a black hoodie, baggy grey mid-calf shorts, and red high-top Chuck Taylors. He wears a red skullcap/beanie most of the time, and sometimes wears black reading glasses. He is almost never seen without headphones or a handheld game.

Prosthetics: The only prosthetic he has is his right arm. One of the fingers is equipped with the ability to jack into the GNN. The prosthetic is of skin-tone, with some underlying black mesh.

Electronics Skills: Rex is capable of jacking into the GNN via his right index finger. When he is in, to the horror of many, he can link up to whatever machines that are connected to it--though only rarely a person, if that person has been connected for long and if they're fully augmented--and control them. He also has programming knowledge.

Other Skills: Good at pickpocketing, quick on his feet, quick reflexes, and good at sneaking.

Brief History: Rex was born into a wealthy family. At a young age he felt no connection to his parents (though he loved them), due to their constant business trips and meetings and other such things. As a result he became introverted and never really left the house. He was wary of people and rarely spoke to them. He found the GNN and would stay locked into it for nearly days. This is where he grew to love music and video games--he started creating both--and it is also where he grew to learn the fine arts of hacking. Outside of the GNN he found that he could get what he wanted easily by pickpocketing. At first he got caught, but as time went on he became better at it. He only stole from the rich, though he never gave thought to Robin Hood and kept it all for himself. While he had a general idea of morality, he never let it block him from getting what he needed or wanted, if it didn't involve hurting anyone.

Years passed. Rex grew out of his shell, for the most part, though he was one with smart-ass remarks, lewd humour, and flipping off police. As a typical wealthy father would, Mr. Yamamoto asked Rex to come to work with him to train for when he took over the family business. Rex being rebellious and too independent for his own good didn't want to at first. But then he realized he'd never actually seen where his father worked (he knew he worked in robotics, but nothing else came to mind), so he humored him. Unfortunately, on the drive back home from work, the car was side-swiped by a large truck. His father was fine, but Rex's arm would never be the same again. It had to be replaced with a prosthetic one. Mr. Yamamoto, knowing Rex's fascination with the GNN, gave Rex a prototype arm with the ability to jack into the GNN with the index-finger.

Rex soon discovered, while hacking into his father's company's GNN, that he had the ability to literally move things through it. He watched, on the security cameras, arms flop, robotic legs walk across the room, etc. He was giddy with the ideas and possibilities--making robots dance through the streets, having full-augmented people dance through the streets, having cars dance through the streets! He pulled off the first a few times, though he could never manage to get more than four. Despite their confusion, the people watching the robots breakdance in the middle of intersections would laugh.

Fueling his love for music, he took a job at a local night club as a DJ. People loved when he came up because he seemed to mix the music so well--in truth, hacking into the GNN and moving the turntables and such from there was much easier. In addition to his job at the nightclub, he got a job at a game store. While he didn't like dealing with the people, he was...great at video games. He moved into his own apartment, where he could do his hacking and whatnot easier.

Eventually, more specifically after Rex was finally caught pulling a cat out of a tree with a large robot, he was sent off to prison for "thievery of robotics". This didn't help his anger towards authority, since he felt he hadn't done much wrong. It was only a week after his imprisonment that his sentence was changed. He was approached by people in business suits. They told him that his sentence would best be served under their rules: He would work for the ECD, and he would put his abilities to better use. It's safe to say Rex wasn't very happy about this. And his parents didn't even know he had been in prison, let alone his ability to jack into equipment from across the city.

RP Sample:"Wait for it...Wait for it...Aaaannd...IN." Rex sat back in his seat grinning. He gulped some Dr. Pepper and stared at his computer screen with a smug look. "God, I am so good at this." He leaned forward and began typing with one hand, his other hand connected to the GNN port.

Soon, after his face went through a wide variety of expressions, his mouth widened into a grin. "And now I work my magic..." On the screen, figures hopped about a room. There were people staring on in confusion at the malfunctioning robots. One of the robots began pelvic thrusting. At his seat, Rex was howling with laughter. Then his phone range.

"Er, Rex." He said, laying back in his chair. The robots on-screen stopped dancing.

"Rex, it's mum. I'm at your Aunt Eleanor's house for the month. Can you tell your father?" Rex's mom said on the other end.

"He's in Sweden, I think. Something about a business meeting or somethin'..." Rex absentmindedly dug into his ear for earwax.

"Well, I guess he won't be missing me then. Okay, love you son. Bye bye bye bye..." She hung up the phone.

Rex grumbled something about not even remembering who Aunt Eleanor was, then he returned to his computer. The robots began dancing again, thus bringing him into more guffaws. "Dance, puppets! DANCE! Shake what your makers gave ya!"

Name: Johnny GestinoAge: 35Occupation: Detective for the NBPD, Specialist on the Anti-Cybernetic Terrorist Response UnitHeight and Weight: 6’2”, 290lbsPhysical Appearance: Johnny is a large man, years of intense training and the lead up to a boxing career left him in great shape. His bald head are constantly adorned with a pair of welder’s goggles, which cover his electric blue eyes when down. The only trace of his implants are a small blue gauge on his forearm and small, round, metal plates crossing his hands front and back.Electronics Skills: While he is not in the hacking aspect of the internet and society in general, his time in the ACTRU (Act-True) left him with more than enough skills in cyber investigation and getting around the underworld.Other Skills: His place on his ACTRU team was more of a bruiser. His implants were given to him with his promotion, which are electrical implants that can deliver a shock to the person or object being hit or touched. This has proven useful in the apprehension of many suspects and shorting out electronics proved to open more doors then most hackers. He is also a great detective, knowing what to ask and how to get the information and clues he needs.Brief History: Born in Rome, Italy, Johnny was raised in the underground. Johnny was on the fast track to Rome’s inner city stardom. An underground boxer by family trade, he was raised by the retired champion Luke “The Fist” Gestino and his wife. A short, but distinguished career included the death of 2 opponents and hospitalization of many more. But the brutal boxer was undercut right before his championship match by the promoter, who gave his opponent glass razors to attack Johnny with. But even after getting a deep, organ shearing gash from his lower stomach to his chest, Johnny delivered a knockout punch right before passing out.

Waking up in the hospital, Johnny received new, biotechnical organs that replaced the severed ones that didn’t survive the fight. But he refused to let them refuse the scar, telling them that it reminded him of why he fought. But later that month, the promoter sent a hit squad after him to kill him for ruining the match and outcasting him. Johnny killed them both and then hunted for the promoter. The police were hot on his tail because of the two murders, but using his logic, Johnny figured out where the promoter was hiding.

The police followed him there and arrested both of them, but after a quick sentence of self-defense was pushed through court, he was offered a job as a low ranking police officer. He took it, no longer seeing a life for him in the underworld. He made several large busts and soon became an excellent cop. He was promoted to detective very quickly, but soon after was offered a job on the ACTRU, where he’s thrived ever since.RP Sample: Johnny rolled over in his apartment bed and sighed heavily when he saw the time on his clock in the wall. 4 ‘o’clock again. He wasn’t getting much sleep after the last bust went bad and Marcus got killed as the suspects opened fire. Marcus was his partner for a long time and they were hot on the tail of a car boosting ring that was using cyborgs to hack into the cars they were stealing. But the suspects saw them coming and the cover was blown.

Rubbing his bald head and getting up out of the bed, Johnny walked over to his small bar and poured himself a stiff drink of scotch. Flopping down on the couch, he tapped the armchair remote and the wall flickered to life, taking over where the wall once was. He wasn’t a fan of this internal TV craze that swept New Britain recently, where the cornea of the eyes could be converted to a TV screen. It seemed like too much in his opinion.

Sipping slowly, he flicked through the channels before stopping on a shot of smoke pouring out of a monorail station downtown. Taking his hand off of the remote, he sipped shortly on his scotch as he absorbed the story.

“Another bombing huh…” he growled, sipping once more. Tapping his ear twice, the familiar sound of a phone ringing turned into a man’s voice.

“You ever sleep John?” The man asked.

“Not when you’re on shift, Will. I’m too scared.” The smile flickered on his face.

“Ha ha. To what do I owe this call?” Will said.

“What do you think of this latest bombing?” Johnny said, sipping once more. It was empty already? He got up and filled the glass again as Will spoke.

“More crazies at work, mate. Brass’ got no idea what’s going on. The only thing I’ve heard is that they are using the Net in a way that no one’s even thought of yet, and so far, it’s untraceable. Just a rumor though.” Will sighed.

“Sounds about right. Alrighty Will, try not to fall asleep.”

“I’m going to say the same, because I can hear your brain cogs rolling from here.”

“Thanks Will.” John reached up and tapped his ear again, and the line cut off. He sipped his now full glass and sat down on the chair once more. Setting the glass down, he started to type in the air, his computer screens popping up automatically. Maybe he could find something out tonight. Or, more likely, he would just pass out in the chair before he could find anything substantial.

Ah, the cop life.

Logged

"May I take a moment to tell you the joys of National Socialism?" - Also Red Beret

You know, you guys...you get it...you really get it! -sniff!- (goosebumps after realizing people are interested!)

Sammich: Approved!Sarge: Approved!

Great use of the cybernetics guys. Basically as a rule-of-thumb, if it could exist in Ghost in the Shell, it'll exist in this world.

To answer questions:1.) The GNN is a catch-all term for the interconnected systems including the internet, houshold electronics, public and private computer systems, and cybernetic implants.

The GNN can be accessed manually on a computer terminal, mentally- by way of implants, and remotely through the use of what amount to "WiFi" connections, like the one in Rex's finger. Also, by placing the reciever close to an object linked to the GNN, a faster link can be achieved.

2.) When I look back on it, it does seem hokey, but the feeling I was going for was like a "United" Britain. The backstory reveals that do to the political complications of WWIII, the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union. The main conflict between the people and the government is an unspoken "arms-race" over who has true control over the virtual world. Being an American, I may be a fish out of water here, but I like the feel of London more. I may consider changing the name to something else, but for now I'll keep it for clarity's sake.

and have a safe trip home Cheez! Keep the questions (and new players!) rolling in people!

Well, if you don't mind, i'm going to pull what other sites call an "Inquisition" on your soon to be sorry butt...area. The idea is to get a better understanding of the environment so the players can react better. You don't have to answer if doing so will reveal the plot in any way.

Technological/Cultural:

1) What's the Tech Level in general? I know you said if it's on "Ghost in the Shell" it's possible, but some peeps don't know what that is. Just a brief rundown of a tech level.

2) How far reaching is this GNN into the lives of people?

3) Have their been any legal reprocussions of privacy laws being sidestepped or ignored, if it even happens?

4) Marketing and Adverteising, how far do they go to get the attention of customers now? Is it down to a Minority report type of personal ID?

5) Speaking of companies, have most of them accepted the new wave of cybernetics and flow with it, or ar there still companies that prefer to do business in the traditional style? (IE, old style cars with manual stick shift, CD record labels, etc)

6) Has anyone really jumped to the forefront of the literal "Arms" race for cybernetic parts? (Forgive the pun)

7) Any new subculters or the like focusing on cybernetics? Any new types of addiction and drugs?

Political:

How is politics handleing the newfound cyber limbs? Are they embracing it and passing alws left and right to keep up? Or are they kind of sweeping it under the rug until something big happens?

9) Have there been any notable scandles involving politcians employing new unfound ways to amnipulate the technology yet?

10) How about democratic process, if there is any? Is that handled differently now due to practically unhindered access to the GNN?

Worldview:

11) What about the rest of the world? What's going on in, say, America?

1) What's the Tech Level in general? I know you said if it's on "Ghost in the Shell" it's possible, but some peeps don't know what that is. Just a brief rundown of a tech level. -Human modification is broken up into "Classes." Class III:Fully Cybernetic Body. Essentially a brain in a robot body. Very Rare. Exorbitantly expensive. Class II: 40%-100% Cybernetic body. Usually attributed to quadrapaligics and others who have suffered extensive trauma. Highly Expensive. Class I: 10%-39% Cybernetic Body. The second most common class. Included arm, leg, organ, and skeletal prosthesis. Class 0: Less than 10% Cybernetic body. Most common class. Usually, ocular implants, brain implants, and medical equipment. (pacemakeretc.) Negligible change in strength, etc, A-Class: Androids. Human Shaped robots that perform menial tasks. Usually stationary. Follow orders. Simple AI.

2) How far reaching is this GNN into the lives of people? - Should a person make the right choices, they could essentially live without ever needing to experience the GNN. There are many who prefer analog technology and avoiding the GNN would be as simple as you or I giving up the internet. It would still exist and change the world around us, but we decide how personally we let it affect us. Realistically though, the GNN encompasses countless facets of life. Some examples are: Accessing bank accounts, Browsing the internet, communicating through IM/Phone Calls/E-Mail, Storing information for businesses and government agencies, etc, It is essentially the system that connects of all the world's technology. I hope that makes some sense.

3) Have their been any legal reprocussions of privacy laws being sidestepped or ignored, if it even happens? - As the level of technology increased at such a fast rate, it is a very delicate legal matter. As Britain has used public CCTV's for many years, the line of where "enough is enough" has yet to be drawn. There are heated arguments on both sides. This is truly a situation where the politicians' generation gap shows the most.

4) Marketing and Advertising, how far do they go to get the attention of customers now? Is it down to a Minority report type of personal ID? - Although advertising has not become so personal as to refer to you by name, a user can customize their GNN settings to filter out certain "tags" or even list preferences. Higher end signs in the cities can read these settings and advertise accordingly. Most signs are still good-old ink on paper.

5) Speaking of companies, have most of them accepted the new wave of cybernetics and flow with it, or are there still companies that prefer to do business in the traditional style? (IE, old style cars with manual stick shift, CD record labels, etc) - MP3s/MP4s are the meat and potatoes of music downloads. CD’s are treated with same respect that we treat cassette tapes-in general, not very highly. Albums however are looked at as antiques and are experiencing a revival with the “analog” and “hipster” crowds. In a world where you can download almost any media, it’s cool to be old-fashioned I suppose.

6) Has anyone really jumped to the forefront of the literal "Arms" race for cybernetic parts? (Forgive the pun) -In compliance with UN regulations and several international treaties, it is a felony “to modify or alter any prosthetic, artificial limb, or cybernetic construct or system, in a manner intended to cause bodily harm or damage to public or private property.” In short: It’s highly illegal to even hollow out a place for a weapon, especially in Britain. Now, that never stopped criminals before…

7) Any new subcultures or the like focusing on cybernetics? Are there any new types of addiction and drugs?” -The largest new subculture are the “Glossers” although they take that term offensively. It refers to the glossed-over look they have in their eyes. It is a result of staying “inside” the GNN for long periods of time, sometimes several days. They are often malnourished and are looked down upon as those who cannot accept living in “reality.” - A popular new hook in the party scene however is “Synthing,” based on Synesthesia- a neurological condition that causes a mixing of the senses such as “tasting sounds” or “smelling music” etc. It is where a large party of people will take common recreational drugs, and try to electronically alter and mix their senses while eating, listening to music, during intercourse, etc. -There are also those who would try to “hack” into their own brains in order to initiate an artificial high. So far, results are ambiguous.

Political:

How is politics handling the newfound cyber limbs? Are they embracing it and passing laws left and right to keep up? Or are they kind of sweeping it under the rug until something big happens? -It is a mix of both, progressive politicians see the need to allow this science too grow safely, while more old-fashioned leaders see the need to regulate the technology, lest the people become “A bunch of damn Swarzeneggar robots!” Sen. Greene, Rep. Ohio.

9) Have there been any notable scandals involving politicians employing new unfound ways to manipulate the technology yet? -Ironically, the largest scandal on everyone’s minds is the election of Robert Hall. For no reason other than he is the only the third US President to be sworn in unmarried.

10) How about democratic process, if there is any? Is that handled differently now due to practically unhindered access to the GNN? -There are limitations as to where the GNN can be accessed and in what regard, military/business/government agencies have systems in place to block certain aspects of the GNN in order to protect information. In general, the law systems in most of the world have seen no need to change their processes as of yet.

Worldview:

11) What about the rest of the world? What's going on in, say, America? - America is the #1 rated country for safe and reliable cybernetic surgeries, followed by Britain, and then Germany and Japan. -Following WW3, America has pulled most of their military forces back to the mainland, although they still maintain bases in allied countries. For the first time, America has allowed Britain to erect a military base in Washington State. -Most western countries are seeing an influx in immigration in response to new technology. This has led to stronger immigration reforms across the world. -South America is recovering from being the largest of the warzones with UN aid.

12) Are global politics any different after WW3? -With the rise in war crimes, the UN gave power to INTERPOL to train and field agents that would be able to travel to other countries and aid local agencies in the arrest of war criminals only. -Trade agreements and other minutiae have changed, but it is of little importance to the story. -The Middle East is as sensitive an area as always and has been largely left alone, save for imports and exports. -Sadly, the British noble family is no more. ;_; -After WW3, US President Hanlon resigned from office after repealing his reinstating of the draft.

14) Have the superpowers changes hands at all? -China and Russia have seen the largest loss in status, but they are still considered superpowers. The current superpowers are considered: USA, Britain, the combined EU, Russia, China.

Military:

15) New weapons or developments? (Such as Metal Gear-esque Squad coordination) -"Future Soldier" systems have been implemented in almost all developed countries. (this will not be a major point in the story buy I'll leave this link to give you an idea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Soldier) -In a controversial move, Britain is allowing it's police force to once again carry sidearms and less-lethal weapons. This is to combat the obvious disadvantages an unmodified human would face against a Class III body.

16) Particular famous generals or pioneers? -US President Arnold Hanlon: reinstated the draft. -General David Avis: commander of US forces in the S. American front. -Hank Riley: folk hero of Australian war. No one is sure that he truly exists. -Dr. Giles Ferrin: the “Father of modern Cybernetics.” I tried to read his files to explain his work to you guys, but I had to lie down after three pages. Just take my word for it.

17) New branches of the military as a result of this? -Most developed countries have increased funding to their R&D and Intelligence branches to include these new technologies. -USA, Britain, and Japan are the only three countries with dedicated branches to handle cybercrimes.

Whoo! I hope that whets your appetite for now!

As I will also be PC’ing the director of the ECD, I have one more thing to add:

If I can get at least 4 player characters to join, I will open 2 slots for official ECD agents to act as go-betweens between myself and the PCs. So invite people to join!

Oh boy, this just gave me a slew of new questions boyo. I love this. :>

1) As far as tech level again, what about ambient technology, not so much focusing on cybernetics, but more along the lines of progress on a broader technological front (ie, Cold fusion, progress on computer technology, automotive, planes, military, etc)

2) What companies stand out in refference to their acceptance of modern technology?

3) Which companies are really known for their distribution of cybernetics, if any at all stand out?

4) Have any other countries dealt with terror attacks yet? If so, is their a organization beyond interpol that is dealing with it internationaly?

5) Has organized crime reacted to this? The Mafia and etc all the way down to Gangs.

6) How does the press handle the day to day crimes? Does the government have a large cencor to prevent panic?

7) Are the crimes that frequent? If so does the public realize the frequency of the crime?

All for now.

Logged

"May I take a moment to tell you the joys of National Socialism?" - Also Red Beret

Also, about the GNN: So it's not a vast network connecting all cybernetic things? Ghost In the Shell style, where you could log in and see through the eyes of someone, control objects or people, etc? That's how I visualized it, and that's how Rex works his magic. If that's not how it is then I'll need to change him around...

Ah! No! Sorry! The GNN indeed does work that way. DSorry if what I wrote contradicts that. It's just that in order to control other people or certain objects, you must have great skill in programming. It's just not something that anyone can do.

And Sarge: Whaaaaahhhh lol I'll answer those questions after I get some sleep!

Edit: @McNinja: "New Britain" Contains all territories it currently encompasses. Ireland is unchanged. The loss of the monarchy and secession from the EU are the only large changes.

Remember everyone, I'm still shaky on my British studies, so feel free to correct any of my mistakes!